"To realize as a parent that your kids could be doing everything right and they still might not have a chance? It's wrong." - Nicole Hamilton.

HARRISBURG — Hundreds braved the capital city streets under the baking midday heat to march for justice and peace following the national debate sparked by George Zimmerman's murder acquittal in Florida.

For every man, woman and child who met at Mikayla's Place at 2023 Market St., each seemed to bring a different perspective to the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, was cleared in the shooting death of the 17-year-old Martin.

Some rallied around the need for a national dialogue on race, while others stood against gun violence and "stand your ground" laws. Many voiced their desire to see a civil rights case brought against Zimmerman by the US Department of Justice.

All agreed that justice, in one way or another, remained elusive for far too many.

"What do we want?" a voice demanded over a loudspeaker. "JUSTICE!" came the shouted reply from more than 200 different protesters gathered in the parking lot below Saturday.

"When do we want it?" the voice demanded next. "NOW!" the crowd surged.

"Well, let's go get it, then," the voice replied.

And all of a sudden, the march was on. People headed down Market Street and through Allison Hill escorted by Harrisburg police with Mayor Linda Thompson out front.

Cars passing by honked and drivers waved their support, as the march turned on to State Street and made its way to the steps of the Federal Building downtown.

Many joined the march out of frustration over the jury's verdict in the Zimmerman case, but only a few cited that as their only motivation.

Mothers joined the ranks to decry the larger issue of injustice against their sons, particularly in the black community.

"As a mother, when your child walks outside that door, you're supposed to know that they are protected," said Brenda Alton, a pastor for the Kingdom Embassy Church in Harrisburg. "Now as a mother, I can't be so certain that my children will be safe, that they will be protected."

"Justice for Trayvon" demonstrators march and rally in Harrisburg"Justice for Trayvon" demonstrators march in Harrisburg against "shoot first" or "stand-your-ground" laws, ending at the federal courthouse. The event is being held in protest of the July 20 verdict that acquitted George Zimmerman of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford., Fla., last year.
Protests have been ongoing throughout the U.S. since last weekend. Harrisburg's demonstration is one of about 100 nationwide coordinated Saturday by the National Action Network.

Alton added that, when she was growing up, a more involved community dynamic existed in which entire neighborhoods and communities stepped up to help parents raise their children.

Today, that dynamic is missing in too many areas across the country, she said.

Nicole Hamilton, a mother of two sons, agreed that the days of an engaged, responsible community are all too distant, while adding that Martin could easily have been one of her sons.

"What bothered me the most was that George Zimmerman was profiling Trayvon," she said, touching on another key issue that brought people out Saturday — race.

"I send my two boys to the store almost every day and to realize as a parent that your kids could be doing everything right and they still might not have a chance? It's wrong," Hamilton said.

And the question of race wasn't contained to members of the black community Saturday. David Ritter, a white man from Hershey, joined the protest to show his solidarity with those he called his "brothers and sisters of color," as he marched down Market Street.

"I know that racism exists in our country, and it's based on fear and ignorance," Ritter said. "If we want to build a stable community, we have to embrace diversity, and one way to do that is to take opportunities like this to try and understand the experiences of people who are different from us."

Later, as the protesters gathered in front of the federal building to hear speeches, prayers and songs from demonstration leaders, Homer Floyd, a guest speaker from the MLK Leadership Development Institute and a black man, echoed Ritter's message.

Floyd told the crowd that, growing up, white and black people — people of all races — were raised to view society from their respective race's viewpoint. This difference often makes it hard for members of different races to appreciate or even understand one another's ideas of abstract ideals like justice.

"Part of what we need to do is to close that gap," Floyd told the crowd. "So that we can begin to see justice the same way."

Still others, like Mayor Thompson, took the stage to address the issue of gun violence and what she considers to be the unjust "stand your ground" laws that the jury decided Zimmerman was right when he shot Martin during a struggle.

"Every child has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Thompson said, bringing her speech back to her longstanding stance against illegal guns. "We must appeal to our better humanity and our common sense … I hope you will all join me in fighting these horrible laws."

Perhaps the most powerful message spread at the rally came from the voices of the young people. Justice Porter, a 17-year-old graduate of Central Dauphin High School, was invited to take the podium Saturday and expressed her feelings on the Zimmerman trial and violence n general.

"I am Trayvon's age," Porter told the protesters. "He would have been graduating the same year that I was. … A wise man, also known as my father, taught me that if we do not learn from our past, we are doomed to repeat it."

Another youth, 14-year-old Ja'Ru Mundy, also said he related to Martin, broadening the debate in his own way to include his hopes that all forms of discrimination and bullying in general will be brought to an end.

"Trayvon Martin could have been me, so I wanted to show my respect for him," Mundy said as his mother watched on proudly. "I'd like to see a change in the community in gun violence, violence in general, and to be able to walk down the street without being bullied."

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